Safety appliance for bathtubs



4 Oct. 27, 1936. HARRls 2,059,171

SAFETY APPLIANCE FOR BATHTUBS I Original Filed Jan. 4, 1935 I TH oosssA M.HARR|S.

IN VEN TOR.

ATTORNEY.

O F CE- l. SAFETY APrnIANcE FoR-BA'rntrUBs Ode s Harr s f'an lid fi i AppIi cationJamiaryA, 1935,- Serial No. 3'78 w Renewed September 16, 1936 This invention relates to improvements in bath-room fixtures, and particularly to safety appliances for lending support to a person standing or moving about in a bath-tub.

The principal object of my invention is to provide simple, strong and practicable apparatus fixedly secured to a wall over a bath-tub and including a pivoted arm arranged to swing in a vertical plane and arranged to rest in upright,

inoperative position, as against the wall where it is unobstructive to the free use of the tub, and is swingable to horizontal position over the tub where the arm may serve as a strong and service able support and aid for the bather to change position in the tub, lower himself thereinto or arise from the tub and to remove all danger of injury by slipping or falling.

Other objects and advantages residing in my invention, and objects relating to details of construction and adaptation of parts thereof,

will be readily apparent in the course of the detailed description to follow.

The accompanying drawing illustrates by way of example a typical example or form of my invention, in which:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation, partly broken away, of a supporting safety arm embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a View, partly in cross section and partly in front elevation, of the same.

Fig. 4 is a pictorial view of a portion of a bathroom illustrating the application of a safety appliance of my invention in relation to the walls and tub therein and showing the arm thereof in full lines in lowered, operative condition, and in broken lines in its raised position.

Referring to said views, the reference numeral 5 indicates a bracket-plate, preferably formed of cast metal, of generally rectangular or other suitable configuration, and having a pair of apertures 6 through which the plate may be rigidly secured to a wall of the bath-room, as by screws 1. Upon opposite side edges of the plate for- 5 wardly projecting lugs B, 8 are formed having aligned circular apertures l0 therein. A stoplug l l is formed below and medially between the lugs 8 projecting for a distance therebeyond, and is provided with a horizontally disposed top sur- 5 face l2 to engage the supporting arm when in lowered position, as will presently be explained.

The supporting arm, indicated generally at I3, is formed integrally of cast metal and consists of a relatively long, tapered body 15 suit- 55 ably ribbed, as at IE, to reduce its Weight while giving the requisite strength. At the inner, larger end said arm-body is formed with a substantially cylindrical barrel H of length to loosely fit between the lugs 8 and is provided with an axially arranged bore iii of approximately the same di- 5 ameter as that of the apertures I0. At the opposite end of the arm-body a handle-ring 29, preferably of elliptical configuration, is formed and may desirably be of sufficient size to be gripped by both hands of the user. 10

In mounting the appliance for use the plate 5 is secured to the wall in the manner described and illustrated in Fig. 4, namely by the screws 1 in any desired position so that the arm I3 will overlie the bathtub when. it is in recumbent posi- 15 tion. Preferably, however, the fixture may be secured over the head of the tub and about in the vertical line with the major axis thereof, as shown in said view. The arm-barrel I1 is then fitted between the lugs 8 and a cylindrical bolt 2! is extended through the registering apertures Ill and bore l8 to hingedly connect the arm to the plate. Compressible washers 22 of fiber or other suitable material are positioned between the lugs 8 and the opposite ends of the barrel l1 and a nut 23 is provided upon the screw-threaded end of the bolt 2| whereby a desired amount of pressure may be exerted through the lugs upon the barrel modified by the resiliency residing in the washers 22 to provide sufiicient friction in the movements of the arm to maintain the arm in any convenient inclined position and to prevent the accidental falling of the arm.

A resilient stud 24 is provided adjacent the upper edge of the plate 5 to serve as a stop in the backward movement of the arm and to assure that the arm will not strike against the wall to mar the same.

In this manner the arm may be swung into horizontal position to rest upon the stop-lug H where a slight projection 25 engages the upper surface 12 of the lug and is thus rigidly held to lend support to a person in getting into or leaving the tub or in merely shifting his position therein. In standing up in the tub the user may grasp the handle-ring 20 and the arm l3 may then swing slantingly upward with him but will still afford a firm and reliable support.

When not in use, the arm may be rested in substantially upright position against the stop 24 and close to the wall, as seen in broken lines in Fig. 4, where it is out of the way. The apparatus may be plated or enameled in any metal or shade desired and affords an extremely useful and ornamental addition to any bathroom.

ranged to be secured to a wall adjacent a bath.v

tub, said plate including a pair of apertured lugs extending outwardly from the wallgin spacedf re;- lation, a stop-lug medially positioned below said lugs, and an arm pivotally mountedbetween' said apertured lugs and arranged to swing;andjrest; in horizontal position upon said stop-lug,-

3. A bath-room fixture, comprising a plate arranged to be secured to a wall adjacent a'bath tub, a pair of lugs having apertures therein to receive a pivotal pin extending from said plate in spaced relation, a stop-lug medially positioned below said lugs, a resilient stud medially positloned above said lugs, and an arm pivotally mounted upon said pin adapted to swing from a horizontal position of rest upon said stop-lug to past an upright position to engage said resilient stud in spacedrelation from they wall. ,4

4-. The-combination of elements in a bath-room fixture as set forth in claim 2, together with the arm having a tubular barrel integral at its inner end, a pin extending through said apertured lugsland'i said barrel, to provide a pivotal mounting for said arm, resilient washers between the opposite ends of said barrel and said lugs, and meansmponsaid pin to compress said lugs upon saidmasherslto provide suflicient friction to safeguard said arm from falling.

ODESSA M. HARRIS. 

